Earl Grey, little sugar
by Jem Doe
Summary: Harry went back to help rebuild Hogwarts out of a sense of obligation.


Harry went back to help rebuild Hogwarts out of a sense of obligation, he guessed. To his surprise, he was not the only one - there were so many people interested in rebuilding Hogwarts, professor (headmistress now, Harry reminded himself) McGonagall had to divide them in turns and pairs just for cleaning duty. To his surprise, he was paired with a Slytherin - Daphne Greengrass, thrice a week. Harry looked at the list, taking note of the time he was supposed to be working and where, and went on his way. His slot would start soon, anyway.

 _Daphne Greengrass_. Harry had little to no idea who she was. He had the slight impression he had heard her name before, but other than that, nothing. Well, it could be worse. Harry could have been paired with Parkinson or some other Slytherin of dubious morality. Merlin forbid, imagine him with Malfoy - well, not that he had anything _against_ Malfoy, considering his mom had been nice enough to, you know, not rat him off to the Dark Lord and all that, but it was kind of hard to forget seven years of rivalry in just one fell swoop.

Harry arrived at the location he was assigned to, noticing that it'd take a good while to clean off debris - who and which side thought throwing _Bombarda Maxima_ around like candy would be a good idea? -, sitting on a rock that once had been a wall. The sunlight on his back was nice, at least. Maybe they should make more windows in the castle, but then it wouldn't be a castle, would it?

"Hey, are you dozing off? We got work to do.", a voice said, and Harry blinked, noticing the girl with arms crossed around her chest, dark hair in a tight bun. "And a lot of work, too."

"Are you Daphne?", he asked, with a frown, and the girl rolled her grey eyes. He jumped from his spot, scratching the back of his neck absently-minded. "I'm Harry."

"I think we all know who you are,", she replied, taking her wand from her robe pocket, voice ice cold. "Get to work, Potter."

Harry flinched, and something in her eyes softened for one brief second, before she turned her back to him, starting to cast the spells necessary to lift the rocks away, piling them up nicely for the next turn to destroy. Harry, with a sigh, started to help her.

The thing about these now-rocks piled up literally everywhere is that they had been reinforced with magic, to be more resistant to the castle attacks of the 15th century or something - Harry had dozed off one too many times during Hermione's frequent rants of _Hogwarts, a History -_ which meant that they were heavier than normal castle stone walls; alternatively, just _one_ Wingardium Leviosa wouldn't do the trick to levitate these babies more than a few centimeters in whatever direction. It would be easier if they just could just transfigure them into smaller stuff, but something about Gamp's Law and mass loss didn't let them do it, and thus, Mcgonagall's duo program was born.

That was Harry's theory, at least. Ron had this theory it was a romance program or something, which honestly, was laughable. _Romance_? In a _post-war environmen_ t? _Hah_.

Even with duos, however, the rocks all but refused to float off more than a few meters. Two meters was the most he and Daphne had been able to do before having something of a short-circuit that all but knocked them out, and as such, they silently agreed to never try that again.

Daphne, as Harry had come to learn during the following days of their joint work, was a quiet person. The only moments she spoke with anyone was when her little sister - Astoria, as the girl said, in a flurry of words as they tried to put one piece of rock more than one meter away before short-circuiting themselves once more - came through, not really helping with rebuilding efforts, just excited to be there, it seemed. It was almost as if she had been untouched by war, but Harry really didn't know how to put that into actual words to Daphne (who…. Didn't seem to like him that much, actually.) without making it sound creepy. Besides, if she didn't want to talk, he wasn't going to force her to. Silence was rather nice.

During the third week, someone - maybe from the shift before? - left a radio behind, and Harry arrived to find Daphne twiddling with the buttons, hopping between stations until a music with piano and violins started playing. She rose up, smiling to herself, and with the light falling on her, she looked almost angelical.

Harry had never been more glad to not have resumed things with Ginny, because it seemed like he was ready to develop a new crush. Oh, boy. This smelled like trouble.

He cleared his throat, and Daphne turned to face him, face losing all softness.

"You're late, Potter.", she told him, simply, and Harry smiled.

"Throw in a 'forty points from Gryffindor' there and you've got down a good Snape imitation,", he replied, and Daphne rolled her eyes, but the laugh she bit back was clear.

They started working on the rocks, once more, but Harry noticed _something_ Daphne was doing with her wand movements. It took him a bit of time to notice she was matching her movements to the song, and apparently, he looked way too much in her general direction, because Daphne scowled.

"What are you looking at?", she hissed, and Harry was almost sure that, had she hissed just a bit more, she would be speaking Parseltongue. He shrugged.

"Never saw anyone matching wand movements to music, it's all.", he told her, and she looked at him like he was daft.

"What? It's literally the first way anyone learns how to memorize wand movements, did no one teach you that?", considering he had spent his entire childhood in a cupboard in a muggle house, instead of a manor or whatever purebloods had for houses, no. He shook his head, and Daphne blinked quickly. It was the first time Harry had seen any display of emotion on Daphne's part without Astoria near, which was rather nice. "What were you raised by, animals?"

"Muggles,", he replied, and Daphne's face paled, turning back to the levitating rocks.

"Sorry,", Daphne told him, and he shrugged, his eyes on her hand. "I didn't know. I thought…"

"That I had been raised like a prince? No problem, seems like a common mistake.", Harry joked, and Daphne turned her head to face him once more, grey eyes filled with curiosity. "Can you teach me?"

"Teach what?", she frowned, and when he gestured to her wand, she blushed just slightly. That was… Sort of cute. "Ah. Well, it's kind of hard to explain, but I match my movements to the rhythm. It's easier to learn if you know how to dance, but…"

"Yule Ball?", he suggested, and Daphne nodded. Harry flinched. "Well, do you want to teach me? How to dance. It can't be that hard."

She snorted, but canceled the levitating spell, Harry following soon after, the rock raising a bit of dust, and she put her hair in a bun while it settled, wand kept carefully in its pockets. A new song started, and Daphne smiled, quietly, before making a small bow to him, pulling up the hem of her long robes for one brief second.

"Alright, so first you bow to your partner, because you respect them,", she started, and Harry followed, offering a quick bow. Daphne scrunched up her nose. "Not proper form, but we can work on it later."

"There is a proper form?", Harry asked, as Daphne approached, putting one hand of his around her waist, holding the other firmly, and she only looked into his eyes when Daphne put a hand on his shoulder.

"There is proper form for everything, as you ought to know.", she replied, curtly, slowly starting to move them in a tight circle. "It's mostly just doing this, but if you want to be fancy, you can spin me and stuff. Personally, I don't wish to be thrown against debris."

"I won't try it, then,", Harry hummed. She smiled, soft, and the music went on. "So, who are you?"

"We've been working together for weeks, you should know.", she scowled, and Harry laughed. "Fine. I'm Daphne, my parents went to Azkaban because of Death Eater involvement, but I've never agreed to then and fought for Hogwarts. You can check my arm, if you want."

Harry was a bit shocked he had been dealing with the daughter of a Death Eater (plural, perhaps?) for the past weeks, but she… Never had _seem_ as such. Well, not like many ex-Death Eaters would be prancing around, announcing their allegiances anymore, but still. Daphne seemed mostly harmless, especially considering how she had him in her arms, and could, very well, just hex him without he could react.

He should get away, but something in Daphne's face compelled him not to. Well, what did he have to lose, anyway?

"I'll pass."

"Bold move, Harry. I could gut you like a fish,", she told him, and he laughed.

"I'm sure you would have done it already.", the music changed, but they kept their slow pace, as if entranced by each other. Well, Harry knew he was. "So, besides allegiance, what else?"

"I enjoy tea, but it's my duty as a British citizen, I'd say,", she started, biting her lower lip for one second. "I also like traveling. I spent half this summer doing it, actually."

"And where did you go?", Harry asked, curious. He had wanted to do something similar, in fact, but the trials of Death Eaters had eaten all his free time.

Daphne smiled, bright as a small sun.

"Well, I started by going to Versailles. I had heard the palace had some interesting magical stuff…", Daphne replied, but was cut off by professor McGonagall's throat being cleared. The two separated as if they were hit by electricity, and Harry felt himself blushing. McGonagall seemed half amused, half disappointed, followed by a surprised Neville.

"What is this?", she asked, and Harry and Daphne looked at each other. "I thought this was supposed to be a place to work?"

McGonagall sounded amused, and Harry did his best smile.

"Sorry, professor. I badgered Daphne to dance with me, and I guess we got distracted.", he replied, and McGonagall was doing her very best to contain a smile.

"Then go dance in another place, before I reconsider you two working on this together.", the older woman replied, and Harry, with a nod, turned to Daphne.

"Do you want some tea?", he asked.

"I'd love some.", Daphne replied, and Harry, with a small bow, offered her the lead. Daphne bit back a laugh, and the two of then went to the kitchens. Well, at least Harry was going - did anyone else know where it was? He couldn't be sure.

The innermost hallways were more or less clean and empty, mostly dust and odd specks of red the two of them refused to comment on. At least, he figured, no one would see them going to the kitchen, and since Neville wasn't one to babble, his friends wouldn't know.

It wasn't that Harry was embarrassed to be seen with a Slytherin. It was just that there was still a heavy sentiment against them, a deep-seated mistrust the war had done its best to corroborate. As such, he - _the boy who lived,_ which now wasn't exactly correct, considering he had, in fact, died and all that - couldn't be seen near a Slytherin before Hermione or Ron would come to him, some weird gossip they had heard on the tip of their tongues. Harry was trying his very best to lead a low profile life, thank you very much, but the gossip mill went on anyway.

He let Daphne go in first, and closed the door quietly behind them, watching as she looked around, before sitting on one of the tables. Ravenclaw, perhaps? Harry couldn't remember, not with the soft smile on Daphne's face. Merlin, he was in love, wasn't he? That was…

An elf interrupted his thoughts, and he looked at it.

"Hey, can you get us…", he turned to Daphne, sitting in front of her. "What do you want?"

"Earl grey, please.", Daphne said, and he looked at the elf.

"A pot of Earl Grey, and some coffee?", Harry asked, and the elf, with a snap of its fingers, made some biscuits appear on a plate. He grabbed one, and Daphne did the same, nibbling it off. "So, where did you travel? You said Versailles, but where else?"

"London, mostly. I never went there,", Daphne replied, quietly. Harry frowned, and she started playing with a lock of her hair. "I'm from Portree. The magical village Portree, not the muggle town. My parents never left me have free reign, so when they went to Azkaban, I took control of the family assets and traveled. London was nice. Versailles, even so."

"Huh. Sounds like a fun summer. More fun than mine was, at least,", Harry told her, truthfully, and Daphne smiled. The elf appeared once more, putting in front of them Daphne's teapot, a little thing striped silver and blue, a pot of sugar, and a coffee pot, cream colored, matching teacups for both. The elf also put down what seemed like a smaller pot with milk. Maybe. Harry had no idea.

He grabbed the coffee pot, and served on his teacup some while Daphne carefully poured her own tea, the smell of Earl Gray mixing with the smell of coffee.

"I'd ask what you did this summer, but the newspapers got it covered.", Daphne offered. He laughed. "So, what brings you back? I don't see you as the type to come down and help clean."

Harry would answer, but he was watching her cut a cube of sugar in half, dumping it in her tea with two others. She noticed his look, and blushed.

"That's a first.", Harry said, jokingly, and Daphne huffed, eyes watching as Harry dumped a handful of sugar in his coffee.

"Two and a half cubes is the perfect measure. I've tested it before.", Daphne replied.

"Oh, really? I'd love to see some notes.", Harry sipped his coffee, sweet, but still bitter. "Are you sure you're a Slytherin?"

"Pretty sure, yes. I think I have the research somewhere in my trunk….", Daphne's phrase wandered off, and she smiled. "You know, Harry? You're not half as bad as Slytherin gossip says you are."

"Don't speak too loudly, else my bad boy Slytherin reputation is going to drop.", she laughed, and Harry smiled. Maybe this could work. He could see himself being friends - and maybe more, if Daphne would like it as much as he did - with her.

Still, it took Harry until the end of the summer to work up the courage to actually _do_ something about it - while they laid together on her bed, watching as the fishes swam almost lazily over their heads. They weren't supposed to be there, but hey, no harm is done if no one knew. The fact that the dorm was empty helped.

There was a party in the Great Hall, commemorating the fact that the group of volunteers had been able to finish rebuilding Hogwarts in time for classes. Harry hadn't felt like partying at all, and Daphne invited him to the Slytherin Common Room to watch the lake. As hours passed, they somehow moved to bed, just watching the lake above their heads, hand in hand. Harry took a deep breath and looked at Daphne. It was now or never.

"Hey, Daphne,", Harry started, feeling his cheeks redden. She turned to face him. "Can I kiss you?"

"What?", she asked, frowning while sitting, and Harry sat up as well.

"Sorry, I shouldn't…", Harry started, and was going to apologize and maybe flee to the Gryffindor Tower when Daphne kissed him, to his surprise. When she let go of him, blushing madly, Harry blinked twice in quick succession, a confused noise leaving his lips.

"I was surprised, sorry. I thought you'd do this way sooner. Gryffindor courage, and all.", Daphne bit her lower lip, putting a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "You aren't mad, are you?"

"Well, no. Can I kiss you?", Harry asked, once more, and while Daphne rolled her eyes, she did nod, and Harry kissed her.

Yeah, this could work out.


End file.
